14 Summer, 504 AV
Akilah felt ready for battle. For war even.
With her small sword attached to her hip and a bow and several arrows hung on her back, there was no way she wasn't ready.
And with both these weapons, she could finally figure out which one she liked better. Or could do better.
Thinking about how badly her practice sessions were going, Akilah frowned lightly. Maybe she should really just stick to the one that she was better at.
Her uncle would not be so impressed to hear that thought, but all of her cousins were getting so much better, so much faster.
One of them already had a strider. Sure, not many nine-year-olds had a strider, but Akilah really wanted one already. Maybe her family would trust her better then--they didn't even like her going out to the lands around Endrykas on her own.
They probably wouldn't like what she was doing now, either. But that was precisely why Akilah hadn't told them. And it was early, way early in the day. Earlier than Akilah liked waking up.
She had all day before they noticed she was gone and by then she would come back with a giant buck on her back. Maybe two, if she was lucky.
And with all these weapons on her, she was completely safe. Maybe not glassbeak-safe, no one was glassbeak-safe, but pretty safe.
Akilah unhooked her bow one more time, double checking the string. It had to be...firm. No, there was a better word for it--ta...ta...taunt. Akilah smiled proudly as she remembered the word. Taunt.
The string had to be taunt and stiff and firm. Pulling the string back, Akilah grunted slightly at the effort. It was still a little hard, she didn't have the strength for it yet. Not like her cousins, with their muscles. But they were older than her, of course they could do it.
Still, it she could draw the string back pretty far. Enough to tell it was correctly tied.
(Which was a really good thing--she didn't know how to tie it herself.)
About to let go of the string, she stopped herself in time. How many times had her uncle warned her against that? Something about wearing out the bow or the string. Only let go of the string if there is an arrow there to take that force, he had repeated several times.
Instead, she slowly returned it back to its original position.
Ok, bow checked. Quickly pulling out the arrows she had packed, she gave them a really quick checkover. There were no obvious cracks on the arrows, nothing that indicated they'd explode when she shot them.
Well, maybe not explode, but break. The feathers were a little ruffled, but good.
Arrows, checked.
Her sword glinted in the sun as she pulled it out, and she smiled as she stared at it. Akilah felt like her mom right now and she swung it in the air, using both arms to keep it up.
This sword wasn't really a two-handed sword, she knew. Only one-handed, good for lessons and sharp enough to hurt. But it was a little heavy and when her uncle wasn't looking, she liked holding it up with two hands.
Sword, checked. And she had enough rope on her to tie a line from here to where her mother was positioned as the watch.
Surely she didn't need anything else.
Determined, Akilah made a quick march to the outskirts of Endrykas. Now, all that was left was hunting.
.
.
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